Alex B Cann Film Column - 15th/01/2026

Last week, I looked at my favourite films of 2025, but the official box office figures are in, and last year was the best year for cinema since the covid pandemic. I thought we'd have a quick look at the biggest five films. How many have you watched?

1) A Minecraft Movie (£56.8 million) - this inspired a strange trend of throwing popcorn and shouting "chicken jockey!" when a baby zombie rides a chicken in the film. Honestly, its appeal is a total mystery to me, and I had an existential crisis halfway through it, wondering what I was doing with my life. I'm sure Jack Black and Jason Momoa would point out I'm not really their target audience. It also spawned the shortest single in chart history, "Steve's Lava Chicken", which clocks in at just 31 seconds. Baffling.

2) Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy (£46.3 million). Loved this. It was quite wistful and nostalgic, packed full of good jokes ("I've climbed a magical man tree"!), and for me it was the best instalment since the first Bridget film back in 2001.

3) Wicked: For Good (£45.8 million). Still in a few cinemas, so may well overtake Bridget Jones in overall gross revenue. Inspired a lot of green and pink merchandise, which made cinemas some extra pennies.

4) Lio & Stitch (£37.3 million). A lovely live action remake of a Disney classic. The screening we attended was packed to the rafters.

5) Jurassic World Rebirth (£36.1 million). Far more enjoyable than I expected. Hard to believe the first Jurassic Park film dates back to 1993, the year I did my GCSEs. That's a long time ago!

Some observations. For the first time since 2020, when cinemas were closed for much of the year, there are no superhero films in the top half of the chart. Superman just misses out at number 6, whilst The Fantastic Four: First Steps scrapes in at number 10. Whilst cinemas are seen as being under threat by streaming services, Generation Z are going to the movies more than ever, with a 25 per cent increase in 2025. And familiarity rules the roost, with the top five being sequels, remakes, or films based on something that already exists.

A couple to mention briefly that I've watched this week. Sentimental Value is a Norwegian delight, exploring the power of art, family tension, and the memories held within a childhood home, both good and bad. Beautifully shot and acted.

And Primate is released on 30th January, and features a bad ape (Ben) that's been infected with rabies by a mongoose, and goes on a killing spree as a result. The characters are largely one-dimensional, but if you're looking for splattering gore and a smattering of silliness, then look no further. It has a pretty high Rotten Tomatoes score at the time of writing, but I'd say it's middling at best. If in doubt, stay in the swimming pool!

Next week, Rental Family and Marty Supreme, amongst others.